KDE Platform 4

Template:Future software Solid is a new device integration framework for KDE4, the next major release of the K Desktop Environment. Solid is similar to Phonon as it functions as a wrapper to provide a single API, but for interacting with hardware. Solid will use existing applications like HAL and Networkmanager to provide functionality on platforms they support. But other operating systems where no such system exists will require a custom engine. Again like Phonon, Solid is not limited to any specific operating system and can be extended to systems like OS X and Windows. A Windows backend for Solid is unlikely to ship with KDE 4 since much of the focus is on first making sure it works with unix-like systems.

Solid is planned to provide a unified way to manage all ranges of hardware in KDE 4. Examples of its use are a Plasma widget showing the status of a laptop battery would get its information through Solid, or Phonon using Solid to find and identify audio devices. Other areas of functionality planned for Solid include power and network management, removable devices and bluetooth.

External links

• Solid home page
• KDE dot article on Solid